WHAT THE DATA SAY: 67% see office-versus-remote-work debate as too political

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

RETURN TO OFFICE IS NEXT POLITICALLY POLARIZING THEME

Where do you work from? In our Harris Poll research with Bloomberg, the answer to that question has become a cultural flashpoint.

• Democrats say remote work helps equalize office inequities (15 points higher than Republicans) and think it’s unfair when companies require in-person work for jobs that can be done remotely (14 points higher than Republicans).
• Republicans say remote work limits career advancement (10 points higher than Democrats).
• 67% of employed Americans think remote work has become unnecessarily politicized.
• 57% believe companies are out of touch for focusing so heavily on back-to-office protocols – 64% among Democrats and 51% among Republicans.
• 74% say employees need to stop complaining about returning to the office.
• DIG DEEPER: Join our next 30-minute risk-and-reputation webinar at noon ET Thursday, March 21, when we will focus more on the politicization of return to office. To join, please send an e-mail.

75% OF AMERICANS HAVE TROUBLE FINDING FACTUAL POLITICAL NEWS

While 80% of Americans believe in balanced political news, 54% admit they only consume from sources that align with their beliefs, according to our Harris Poll study with Otherweb.

• 75% report difficulty finding factual political news.
• 87% believe people are more misinformed about political news today than they were five years ago.
• A generational divide exists in news consumption: 40% of Gen Z cite social media as their primary news source – and they are the least likely group to think news-source diversity is important.

CAR DEALERS STILL HAVE A REPUTATION PROBLEM

Most Americans do not have a favorable reputation of car dealerships, according to our Harris Poll study with KPA.

• 86% are concerned about hidden fees when buying or leasing a vehicle.
• 84% say price transparency is lacking at most dealerships.
• 76% don’t trust the dealership is being honest about pricing.
• 34% feel pressured to purchase “add-ons.”
• When shopping for a vehicle, 84% say reviews are important in their choice of dealerships.
• 93% of Gen Z use reviews to make purchasing decisions – and are twice as likely to have their choice of dealership influenced by social media.

HIGH COSTS A BARRIER TO HAVING KIDS TODAY

56% of non-parents under 60 today say they don’t plan to have kids – and many say it’s due to the high costs of raising them, according to our Harris Poll survey with NerdWallet.

• 44% say they just do not want children.
• 31% say the cost of raising a kid today is too high, as is the price of child care (23%).
• Family size also is coming into question: 22% of parents of minors who do not plan to have more kids say it’s because the overall cost of raising another child is too high, jumping to 30% for Millennials.
• 34% of employed Americans have put starting a family on hold due to a lack of work-life balance.
• 48% of working parents say finding childcare “feels impossible right now.”

ICYMI

In case you missed it, check out some of the thought-leadership and happenings around Stagwell making news:

• MARK PENN: Stagwell’s Mark Penn thinks it’s a mistake for companies to wade into politics
• QUESTBRAND: March Madness Mania: 20 Brands that Over-Index with NCAA Fans
• NATIONAL RESEARCH GROUP: Are awards shows still relevant in today’s media ecosystem?
• HARRIS POLL: Older adults Prefer Human Help to Manage Health-Related Needs